


Unexpected Developments

by Fairfaxleasee



Series: Alistair/Amelia [6]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Comedy, Comedy of Errors, Established Relationship, F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairfaxleasee/pseuds/Fairfaxleasee
Summary: After the disastrous meeting with Viscount Hawke, Alistair figured that his father-in-law would want to murder him.  After hearing the news from Amelia upon his return, he knows that his father-in-law will want to murder him.
Relationships: Alistair & Loghain Mac Tir, Alistair & Teagan Guerrin, Alistair (Dragon Age)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Alistair/Amelia [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141979
Kudos: 5





	Unexpected Developments

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @xqueen0fhellx and @blondetexan for betaing

Amelia Theirin lifted her head off the pillow when she felt someone lay in the bed beside her. She was still groggy but she thought it was odd as she wasn’t expecting anyone to be in the chambers she shared with her husband, let alone in their bed. She should probably be concerned, but the arms that were wrapping around her felt so familiar.

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Alistair pressed a kiss to her temple.

Amelia thought there was something funny about her husband being there but she decided not to dwell on it. She’d missed him while he was… wherever it was she was fairly certain he was still supposed to be. She just couldn’t muster the energy to solve that particular mystery; she’d been so exhausted these past few weeks. Besides, she wanted to enjoy being back with him for a bit before she started feeling sick, another recurring theme for her life lately.

“Mmm, it’s fine. I should be getting up anyway.” She turned in the bed to face Alistair and rest her head on his chest. She liked that better than her pillow anyway.

She felt him run his fingers through her hair, or at least as much as he could given the tangled mess it always was before she had a chance to brush it. “Are you still not feeling well? I was hoping you’d be better by the time I got back from Kirkwall.”

_ Kirkwall! _

Of course, that was where he’d gone. She was supposed to have gone with him but they’d decided against it when they thought she was ill. She may not be ill, but she’d have been just as miserable on a boat and just as useless when they’d gotten there.

He lifted her chin and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Should I send for a healer?”

She shook her head, “Someone’s coming today.” She knew she’d have to tell her husband soon, but she wasn’t ready to say it aloud yet. For some reason, it would become too real once he knew. She decided to change the subject. “Ros got into your socks again.”

“Maker’s breath!  _ Again _ ?”

“Well, maybe if you had more than two paris he’d be less interested in them.”

“I have three pairs, I bought one special for the trip to Kirkwall!”

“ _ Had _ three pairs.”

“So how many pairs do I have now then?”

“Do you still have the one from Kirkwall?”

“Yes, but I think one of the socks has a hole in it.”

“One pair that probably has a hole in it.”

He laughed and hugged her tighter. “Say, Amelia…”

“Mm?”

“You love me and you need me and you don’t want anything bad to happen to me or anyone to hurt me, right?”

Amelia’s eyes shot open. There was only one time her husband asked her for that particular kind of reassurance: when he’d gone and done something stupid,  _ again _ , and needed her to try and fix it for him.

She disentangled herself from him, sat up against the headboard, and pressed a hand to her face, “Oh, Alistair, what did you  _ do _ ?”

He grabbed her around her waist and leaned into her, burying his face in her breasts deep enough to muffle his next words, “You didn’t answer my question.”

She sighed, “Alistair…  _ yes, _ I love you, and I do  _ really _ need you now, and no, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or anyone to hurt you,  _ but I wish you would start thinking before you start talking! _ ”

“It wasn’t  _ my _ fault! You’re supposed to do the thinking, but you’re sick and Teagan wasn’t any help at all!”

“Alistair. What. Did. You. DO?” She poked the top of his head with each word.

“And her dog ate my cheese, and her cat tried to kill me, and her bodyguard was on  _ her _ side, and she was annoyed when I got there!”

“Her cat tried…” she pushed Alistair away from her so she could look at him. She almost regretted it when she saw him look up at her pleadingly, a slight pout on his lips. She decided to focus on being annoyed because he knew  _ exactly _ what that expression did to her. “Alistair, you didn’t repeat that  _ stupid _ rumor Fergus Cousland told you, did you?”

“Not… all of it. But that was before I met with her!”

“Well, I suppose the fact you didn’t do it  _ in front of her _ is something. Did you at least not make things worse when you met with Hawke?”

“Uhh… probably not. I might have  _ accidentally _ implied that I thought she could be slightly nicer. But she was already annoyed and I couldn’t think of anything else to say!”

“Why didn’t you use the notes I gave you?”

Alistair stopped pouting at her and looked confused. “You gave me notes?”

“I  _ told  _ you before you left!” She reached over and unbuttoned his jacket so she could reach into the inside pocket she’d left the notes in and shove them in his face.

He took them from her and looked them over.

_ Now he bothers to read them! _

“I… oh, right. I guess you did tell me, now that you mention it.” He stopped looking confused and went back to pouting. “Your, uh… your father doesn’t need to know about the notes, does he?”

“I’d rather you’d have  _ remembered _ the notes than my father not know about them, but that ship seems to have sailed, hasn’t it!”

He leaned over, pressed his forehead to her temple, and kissed her cheek, “Please? He’s going to be angry enough with me. If he knew you gave me notes I forgot about, he might try to kill me again.”

“He’s never tried to kill you in the first place!”

“He hired the assassin, that counts.”

Amelia was about to argue back when she felt the familiar wave of nausea sweep over her and she pushed away from her husband to dive for the empty bucket she made sure was beside the bed each night to be sick in.

“Amelia!” She felt Alistair leave the bed and heard him rush around to the side she was leaning over. He knelt beside her, took the bucket, and cradled her cheek in his hand. “I’m calling for the healer. Now.”

“I… no, Alistair.” She closed her eyes. She still wasn’t really ready to tell him, but she’d been putting it off long enough and it wasn’t getting any easier. Besides, she wanted him to hear it from her. “A healer… a healer already came.” She opened her eyes and winced at the concern on his face. The fact that she was starting to cry only deepened the emotion on his features. “There’s nothing a healer can do because… because I’m not sick. I… I’m pregnant.”

She’d barely been able to even whisper the last word, but he’d obviously heard it as unbridled joy swept across his features. He brought his other hand up to her opposite cheek and began rubbing both along her jaw as he pressed his lips to hers. She felt her tears run faster than before as she kissed him back. He took his hands off her face and placed them on her sides to guide her back to the mattress as he leaned into, then over her.

“I love you so, so much Amelia,” he whispered between kisses.

She shook her head slightly, “Yes, as your personal  _ shield _ against my father!”

“Well, there’s that, but you’re also clever and witty, but you still laugh at all my terrible jokes…”

“I only laugh at the mildly to moderately terrible ones.”

“And you’re always helping me, even though I keep doing really stupid things like forgetting you gave me notes.”

“In retrospect that was partially my fault for not giving them to Teagan in the first place.”

He stopped peppering her with kisses and pushed himself off her to smile down at her and trace a hand along her jaw again, “And you’re so beautiful.”

She half-grinned back up at him, “Well, now I  _ know _ you’re just afraid of my father.”

“No, Amelia. You  _ are _ beautiful.” He stopped running his hand along her jaw and placed it on her lower abdomen. “And now you’re giving me something I never thought I’d have.”

She smiled at him before shaking her head and putting a hand over her face, “Alistair,  _ don’t _ get too excited yet, please. I haven’t even seen the midwife yet, the healer who came yesterday was the one who said I was pregnant but the midwife couldn’t come ‘til today to confirm it without drawing too much attention. And even if I  _ am _ pregnant, there’s… Maker there’s so much that can still go wrong.” She’d started crying again. Now that she’d told Alistair and everything was real, all the worries she was trying to ignore came rushing to the surface. “The Bannorn’s been clamouring for an heir practically since Cailan married Anora, if they find out I  _ was _ pregnant and something happens, they’ll want my head, and-”

“Amelia.” Alistair was trying to pry her hand away from her face. She held it there harder and shook her head. She felt him reach under her arms so he could pull her up to embrace her as they sat on the mattress.

She kept crying into her hand for a few minutes before she leaned into him and grasped his shoulder with the hand that had covered her face as she ran the other through the short hairs on the base of his neck. “It’s just…” She didn’t know what it was other than ‘terrifying’ but didn’t want to articulate that feeling. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything until I was sure. I thought I’d know before you got back, but…”

“Amelia.” He pressed her closer and stroked her hair. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”

“I…” she nodded into his neck. “I don’t  _ know _ obviously, but it fits and when he said it, it just… felt right.”

“Well,” he kissed the side of her forehead and laughed, “in my experience your  _ feelings _ about things are a lot more accurate than most people’s  _ knowings _ about things, so I’m willing to take your word on the matter.” He cut her off before she could protest. “ _ And _ if you’re wrong, I promise I won’t be mad at you. And if you’re right, and something  _ does _ happen, it won’t be your fault. I won’t let anyone try to blame you for it.”

She waited until she stopped crying before nodding into his neck again. “I…  _ thank you _ .”

She felt him smile against her brow. “Well, you realize you’ll have to protect me from your father in the meantime. He’s  _ absolutely _ going to want to kill me now.”

She leaned away from him slightly to look at him, “About the notes? I don’t see a point in telling him about them.”

“Well, I’m slightly relieved you won’t be doing that but I don’t think that’s going to save me any. He’ll still want to kill me for getting you pregnant. You don’t think it’s possible he just wouldn’t notice, do you?”

“I know you try to only see him every six, but he comes to visit  _ me _ once a month.” She indicated her abdomen, “This is one of those things that’s going to get  _ fairly obvious _ . Besides, Alistair, we’ve been married almost ten years. Even  _ with _ you being a Warden he knew this was possible.”

“I… um… yes, about that...”

“Oh,  _ Maker _ , Alistair!” she brought a hand back to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Well, yes. As I was saying, about that. He… um… he  _ might _ , possibly mind, just  _ might _ think that we don’t have sex.”

“ _ Why _ ‘might’ he think  _ that _ ?”

“Someone… may have told him.”

“Is that someone sitting in bed with me right now?”

“Hah! You really are too clever.”

“ _ Alistair _ ! Why?”

“He was glaring at me!”

“He glares at me, too! I don’t make up ludacris stories that are only going to make things worse when he figures out they’re  _ lies _ !”

“Well, yes. But  _ you _ get the ‘I’m glaring at you because I love you and I worry about you’ glare. I get the ‘I’m glaring because I want to  _ murder _ you right now and don’t want you anywhere near my daughter’ glare.”

“He’d want to murder you less if you would just  _ stop lying _ to him! And why do you always have to lie about these ridiculous things that only matter to him because you’ve lied about them?”

Alistair looked away from her and muttered, “I think this one mattered quite a  _ lot _ to him regardless of my lying about it.”

“And telling him I’m a grown woman and can make my own decisions about things like that didn’t occur to you?”

“I… think telling him that would have been more likely to get me killed than what’s ended up happening.”

Amelia shook her head. She realized that most couples probably had their recurring fights, she just didn’t imagine that too many others kept having to debate whether and for what one of their parents wanted to kill the other. “Look, I’ll tell him I’m pregnant the next time I see him and you’re not in glaring distance.” He looked back at her and smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. She put a hand in front of his face to stop him, “ _ But _ , you’re on your own for the stupid lie. And if he asks me about it, I’m going to tell him I’m a grown woman and can make my own decisions about things like that and that I have no  _ idea _ why you told him what you did and what an  _ incredibly stupid _ thing it was to have done.”

“But he’ll still kill me then!” He leaned around her hand and the pout he used to plead his way out of far too much was back.

She moved her hand to place it against his cheek and slide her little finger behind his ear. “I’ll be sure to remind him that I really do need you quite a lot for this, and that I love you and you make me happy, if occasionally  _ very _ frustrated, and that if he ever  _ did _ anything to actually hurt you, I’d be very cross with him.”

He reached a hand behind her head and grabbed a fistful of her hair as he leaned in to kiss her. She let her hand slide from his cheek and snaked it around his back to grip his shoulder blade as he neared and met his kiss. He pushed her back towards the mattress as the hand that wasn’t holding her hair alternated between grabbing the fabric of her nightgown to inch it up her legs and rubbing her hip.

She was torn. On the one hand, she had  _ missed _ her husband while he was in Kirkwall, they didn’t usually spend much time apart; but on the other, she was tired and she wasn’t sure how advisable it was to do what they both wanted to while she was pregnant.

_ I’ll need to remember to ask the midwife about that. _

A knock at the door interrupted her need to resolve the dilemma.

“No!” Alistair lifted his head from her neck where he had been trailing kisses aiming for her breasts as he yelled in the general direction of the door.

“YES!” Amelia pushed her husband off her and whispered an admonishing reminder, “I told you, the midwife is coming.”

Alistair looked disappointed but didn’t pout at her before he lifted herself off her and addressed the door again. “I… fine, yes.”

Based on how far into the room Avalonne already was when Amelia leaned up, her elven lady-in-waiting hadn’t bothered waiting for her husband to articulate that he’d changed his mind. The woman had learned almost immediately that when Amelia and Alistair  _ did _ disagree it was only a matter of time before he’d come around to her way of thinking.

Avalonne glanced at Alistair, raised an eyebrow, and inclined her head slightly at him to ask, ‘ _ Did you tell him yet?’ _

Amelia nodded.

Alistair was looking between the two of them frowning slightly. “You know I hate it when the two of you talk about me without saying anything like that. Makes me very scared you’re mocking me or something.”

“Don’t worry, your Majesty,” Avalonne grinned at him. “I only mock you out loud.”

“Ah, well, I suppose that’s a relief. Any chance you’ll stop doing that entirely?”

“Any chance you came back from Kirkwall three days early because things went  _ well _ ?” Avalonne waited a beat to give Alistair a chance to respond. When he didn’t she shifted her gaze to Amelia, “I brought the midwife up through the servant’s passages. I know you won’t want her waiting in the hallway, but it won’t be long before someone spots her there.”

“I…” Amelia’s entire body seemed to freeze and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Alistair leaned over and kissed her temple. She needed a few deep breaths before she was able to nod and respond, “Send her in.”

Avalonne had taken the time Amelia needed to compose herself to walk back to the door. She nodded back to Amelia and slipped out it, returning both too quickly and too long after pushing a slightly miffed looking older woman in front of her into the room. She gave the woman a last shove so she would step further into the room before reaching for the doorknob and shutting the door with herself on the other side.

The woman, obviously the midwife, shot a slight glare at the closed door as she smoothed out her robes before bowing; waiting for permission to approach.

Amelia’s lungs decided not to work properly again and she wasn’t able to respond. Alistair glanced quickly at her before he beckoned the midwife over. It was quite a reversal from their usual positions where  _ Alistair _ was the one who would freeze and  _ she _ would direct him out of it, but Amelia had never been quite so terrified of anything as she was the smiling midwife currently approaching them.

Alistair reached an arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head, “It will be alright, love.” She felt him move his head slightly to address the midwife, “I, uh, do I need to leave?”

The possibility of Alistair leaving was enough to jolt Amelia out of her terrified stupor and she clasped his arm to get him to look at her while she shook her head vehemently.

“Well, it’s not particularly common for the fathers to stay…”

Alistair stiffened at the word ‘father.’ Amelia hit him lightly on the shoulder and whispered, “You can’t be scared; I’m scared.”

He turned to her, “Why can’t I be scared?”

“Because I was scared first, you need to find something else to be!”

The midwife smiled, “It’s perfectly normal to be nervous, particularly for a first pregnancy.”

Alistair squeezed her shoulder and looked between Amelia and the midwife, “So she’s… you’re sure then?”

“Well, I’ll need to do an examination to be absolutely sure, but your Majesty, I’ve been doing this for quite a few years; longer than either of you have been alive, I believe. After a while, you get a sense of a… certain look pregnant women have, and your wife certainly looks pregnant.” Amelia let out a shuttering gasp. She wasn’t quite sure how she managed it because she hadn’t thought she’d been breathing. The midwife turned to her before continuing, “But like I said, I do need to confirm that with an examination and I’d like you to be as comfortable as possible while I’m doing that. So if having him here would make you more comfortable…” Amelia nodded vigorously enough to make herself slightly dizzy. “Alright. Take off your nightgown and lie down on the bed and we’ll get started.”

“I… um, do I  _ have _ to take off the nightgown?” Amelia realized the answer was probably ‘yes’ but she wasn’t keen on the idea of anyone other than her husband seeing her naked.  _ He _ might think she was beautiful but  _ she _ was much less convinced of that.

“I suppose you don’t need to take it all the way off, but I will need you to pull it up for me. Don’t worry, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Amelia nodded and shifted on the bed to gather up the fabric of her nightgown that covered her body from the waist down in her hands before laying down. She had no idea  _ why _ she felt better with the garment technically on than she would with it off but she knew this wasn’t the best time to dwell on that. She heard the midwife giving some instructions to Alistair, but wasn’t able to process what they were. She wanted to make sure he didn’t go too far away so she grabbed one of his hands and held it tight enough that she was slightly embarrassed by it. She saw the midwife approach with what looked like a small metal horn in her hand.

“I’m going to start by listening for a heartbeat. Based on what the healer and your servant told me about your symptoms, I believe I’ll be able to hear one. If I can’t hear one, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re  _ not _ pregnant, it could be that you’re just not quite as far along as I thought. Now, the healer said you couldn’t tell him the last time you bled?”

Amelia opened and closed her mouth a few times to try and actually respond to the  _ extremely _ simple question before giving up and shaking her head. She’d never been good at keeping track of things like that. She usually forgot her cycle entirely until she spent a day wracked with horrible pain around her midsection, preferably in bed but that wasn’t always an option, and had a vague recollection that it had been about a month since the last time it had happened.

“You don’t happen to have remembered since you saw him?”

She shook her head again. She couldn’t see a point trying to make her voice work until the midwife was able to give her the answer she’d been needing and dreading since the healer had told her why he thought she’d been sick.

“It’s alright. Just try to relax and breathe normally.”

Amelia nodded, shut her eyes, and squeezed down on her husband’s hand. She felt the metal of the midwife’s tool press against her skin and every adjustment the woman made to its position. She heard Alistair kneel beside her head and felt him kiss her temple before laying his forehead on hers as he whispered, “No matter what happens, I love you, Amelia.”

She nodded and opened her eyes so she could look at him as she mouthed the words, ‘I love you, too.’ He smiled at her.

Amelia felt the midwife remove the tool and sat up to hear the results of her examination.

“Congratulations, your Majesties.”

Alistair wrapped the arm that wasn’t attached to the hand Amelia was holding far too tightly around her. She let the hand go so he could hold her with both arms and she relaxed in his embrace.

The midwife let them enjoy the news for a few moments before speaking again, “Now, you’ll probably find this next part a bit uncomfortable, but I’d like to try and feel-”

Amelia heard the door swing open. She quickly pushed her nightgown down as far as she could and turned with the other two to see Avalonne; jaw set, shaking her head and tearing towards the window. Amelia knew full well that she didn’t observe the normal rules of formality in her relationship with Avalonne, but she also knew that the woman wouldn’t barge into her room without permission, particularly with the present company, unless something was making her very, very nervous. And there weren’t many things that made Avalonne at all nervous. “I’m sorry, I know I’m interrupting, but I only  _ just _ found out.  _ Someone _ ,” she shot an exasperated glance at the door. Avalonne’s daughter was standing in front of it, holding one of the pups from the kennel’s litters, and looking slightly concerned about her mother’s frustration at her. The girl had her father’s beige complexion but her mother’s deep caramel hair and light hazel eyes. “Decided she wanted to visit the kennels before bothering to tell me that your father’s in the city. And we all know how he feels about being kept waiting, even  _ when _ he’s unexpected, but I wasn’t entirely sure what you wanted me to tell him. I think Teagan’s still here, so that could distract him for a bit, but I wasn’t sure he’d,” she waived at Alistair as she reached the window. She used that hand to pull the curtain back slightly and look out, “Like that idea very much. Oh, and did I say your father’s in the city, because I apparently meant he’s at the palace.” She let the curtain fall and turned to Amelia.

“I…” Amelia looked to the midwife, “There’s still more to do, isn’t there?”

“I could return later if-”

“No!” Amelia hadn’t realized she felt quite so strongly, “I-I want to know now. Please.”

“So…” Avalonne didn’t sound surprised about Amelia’s decision but also didn’t seem pleased with how it limited the options. “Do you want me to leave him with Teagan for a bit? Tell him what you’re doing? I could try pretending I don’t know where you are but that usually only buys about five minutes before he storms off to find you himself.”

“I…” Amelia didn’t like  _ any  _ of those options but couldn’t think of another one.

“I’ll go talk to him.” Alistair squeezed her and kissed her cheek before he got up from beside her. “He  _ loves _ criticizing me, that should keep him happy for a bit. Well, probably not ‘happy,’ but at least entertained.”

Avalonne nodded before rushing out the door and scooping up her daughter in one arm and the pup in the other as she closed the door with her foot.

Amelia grabbed Alistair’s hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. “You’ll be fine here without me,” he assured her. “Take all the time you need, love.” He took his hand back and crossed to the door.

“Alistair!” She called after him and he turned, “I will tell my father what’s going on when I get down there, but while I’m still up here,  _ please _ don’t just say whatever pops into your head. If it doesn’t sound like something I’d tell you to say  _ don’t say it _ !”

“So… start thinking before I start speaking?”

“Exactly.”

“I can do that.”

Amelia watched her husband leave the room and lamented his overconfidence.

\------------------------------------------------

_ Start thinking before I start speaking. I can do that. I… may not have done great with that in Kirkwall, but everyone was ganging up on me then. Loghain doesn’t have any scary bodyguards, or cats that think I’m a pincushion, or cheese-stealing mabaris, or possibly poisoned vases to throw at my head… well, he may have vases to throw at my head but I’m pretty sure none of them are poisoned… _

Alistair continued his mental pep-talk as he walked to the guest halls. He saw Avalonne in the hallway frowning at a door.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Did Silvia shove a chair under the knob to keep you from returning the puppy again?”

“No, that’s why I’ve started carrying them separately. She’s with the kennel master giving the litter lunch.”

“I thought he didn’t want her anywhere near them?”

“He finally figured out  _ that _ was never going to happen, even without her crying to Zevran about it the next time he’s in Denerim, so he decided to put her to work instead.”

“What’s wrong with the door then?”

“Nothing, but right on the  _ other _ side of the door, your currently-seems-to-be-mad at you kind-of uncle and your always-seems-to-be-very-mad at you father-in-law are waiting for you to go in and ‘explain yourself.’”

Alistair pointed to the door, “What’s Teagan doing in there with Loghain?”

“Loghain came in just as Teagan was about to leave and if you can’t figure out what happened next, I don’t want to tell you.”

“ _ Maker’s breath _ !” He backed away from the door. “And you’re sure they’re waiting for me?”

“Positive.”

“...any chance you can come in with me?”

She shook her head. “I’m supposed to tell Amelia she’s  _ expected _ to come join you as soon as she can.”

“They, uh… they didn’t use that exact word, did they?”

Avalonne nodded. “Try to resist temptation.” She walked past Alistair but turned to him before she left the hallway, “I think they think she’s with a healer, but I’m not going to interrupt her appointment again. She’s been a wreck about this since yesterday and trust me, you have  _ no idea _ some of the things the Bannorn have been saying and suggesting. You’re on your own until she’s ready to come down.”

“Wait, you weren’t there, how do you-”

Avalonne waved a hand at him as she started walking again, “I suspected this before you left. Who do you think finally got her to agree to see the healer? But they’ll probably have heard us talking so you’d better go in.” 

Alistair watched Avalonne disappear around the corner and pressed his ear to the door. He couldn’t hear anything, but that could just be because Teagan and Loghain had decided to wait in angry silence before they started yelling at him, angrily. He grabbed the knob and twisted it as slowly as he could so the men hopefully wouldn’t hear him, and pushed the door just slightly ajar to see if he could hear anything through the crack.

“...didn’t you just wait for Amelia to be feeling better?” Well, Loghain didn’t sound any angrier than he normally did, but he was talking to Teagan, not Alistair, so Alistair wasn’t sure how relieved he should be about that.

Teagan sighed, “Because, one does not simply  _ request _ a meeting with Viscount Hawke. We had to submit the requested dates; a proposed agenda; a list of the persons who would be present, including servants; the names of the vessel we were taking and its manifest, all in triplicate for some Maker-forsaken reason. And the letter confirming the appointment, which I now suspect was from that bodyguard of hers acting as her proxy despite its rather deliberate phrasing that implied it was from the Seneschal, made it very clear that if we  _ chose _ to miss our granted appointment for any reason, such a  _ lapse in etiquette _ would be remembered if we were to request a new appointment. Just how long was that woman a Magistrate’s clerk anyway?”

“Less than a year, but after six months she had a better mastery of the theory and substance of the subject than anyone in the Ternyr, if not Southern Thedas, other than Magistrate Burnan himself. But enough about Cassia Hawke. I heard you open the door, Alistair!”

Alistair opened the door wide enough to peak his head into the room. Teagan and Loghain were sitting in chairs on the opposite wall glaring directly at him. “Oh, uh, you heard that, did you?”

Loghain narrowed his eyes at him, “I may be old, but my hearing is quite astute.”

“Hmph, ‘old,’ you’ll outlive us all out of spite, you stubborn…” Alistair muttered to himself as he opened the door and entered the room.

“I may be spiteful and stubborn, but at least I have the ability to retain information that has just been told to me. Just what exactly have you done this time that’s distracting my daughter?”

Alistair looked away as he tried very hard to keep his expression neutral and not answer the obviously trick question Loghain had just asked him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken to the man without Amelia there to keep both of them on their good behavior. He had an unpleasant inkling that it was the time just before the wedding when he’d said the thing that was about to catch up with him. “Look, you can’t just show up here whenever you want and expect Amelia to be able to drop everything immediately for you. She’s the Queen, she has other things to be getting on with.”

“There would be less of those without your messes to clean up. Like whatever one you left in Kirkwall that’s brought you back three days early.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been thinking about that and I’ve decided what happened in Kirkwall was really all  _ your _ fault.” Alistair nodded once he finished his declaration. He thought he might have seen Teagan throw up his hands in frustration but decided it was too late to worry about that.

Loghain got up from his chair and crossed to Alistair. “Oh. Really?”

The part of Alistair he never bothered listening to thought he should just drop this and apologize, but the rest of him decided to continue his argument, “Yes. Really.”

“And  _ why _ ,” Loghain crossed his arms, “do you believe  _ that _ ?”

“Uh…” This was probably what Amelia meant about how he should start thinking before he started talking. Well, actually this probably wasn’t  _ exactly _ what she meant but the lesson would have nonetheless come in handy before Alistair had opened his mouth.

“Well? I’m waiting. Tell me, Alistair, how  _ exactly _ what you did in Kirkwall was my fault.”

“Uh… well… it’s like you were saying before, she was a Magistrate’s clerk in Gwaren before the Blight. If you hadn’t drafted her for Ostagar, she’d be doing that and not be a very scary, angry lady in Kirkwall.”

“No, she wouldn’t be. She’d be a Magistrate herself, likely in Denerim, given who her mentor was and her talent in the area, and I suspect you’d find her just as scary and angry.”

“I… oh… right. That sounds worse, doesn’t it?”

“It does. So, Alistair, would you like to try again to tell me how what happened in Kirkwall was my fault?”

“I… not really no. But you don’t want to talk to me, right? I’ll just go check if Amelia’s done with the midwife-”

“Midwife!” Teagan, at least, sounded ready to forget about what had happened in Kirkwall.

“ _ Midwife _ ?!” Loghain also sounded ready to forget about Kirkwall, but Alistair wished he weren’t.

“Did-did I say ‘midwife’? I meant ‘my wife,’ because Amelia’s my wife so I’ll just go check if Amelia’s done with my… no that doesn’t work. I meant…”

Loghain pointed a finger threateningly at Alistair before turning to Teagan. “This is exactly what happened in Kirkwall, isn’t it?”

_ So much for being willing to forget about Kirkwall… _

“Actually no.” Teagan sighed and shook his head, “This went much better than what happened in Kirkwall, at least in terms of what he said. I believe he started by repeating the rumor about the ‘Ice Queen’s’  _ peculiar _ personal anatomy and ended by stating his belief that she should be nicer. But I suppose if you mean saying something before he’s thought about it, then yes, it is exactly what happened in Kirkwall.”

Loghain nodded and turned back to Alistair. He opened his mouth, likely to launch into one of the diatribes Alistair had learned to ignore years ago. Once Loghain laid into a subject, most often Alistair or Orlais, he wasn’t anything to worry about, but Alistair still felt it prudent to be concerned that Loghain might just decide to kill him before starting one. 

Alistair was spared the task of having to find something else to think about while his father-in-law listed his many shortcomings by Amelia bursting into the room breathing heavily. Between her dress, one of the simple frocks she usually only wore when she was doing something involving ink in the archives, and her breathing, suggesting she’d run at least part of the way from their chambers to the guest hall, Alistair imagined that while Avalonne hadn’t interrupted Amelia again, neither woman thought he could be trusted alone any longer than absolutely necessary. He’d be annoyed if they weren’t correct about everything.

“I’m sorry… I’m late, I-”

Loghain stopped pointing at Alistair so he could grab Amelia and pull her close enough to examine her, “Amelia, you shouldn’t be over-exerting yourself right now. Have you been eating properly? Getting enough sleep?”

“I-”

Teagan interrupted her this time, “Yes, you do look a bit pale. Do you need to sit down?”

“No, thank you, I’m-”

Loghain started turning Amelia’s head slightly, “Teagan’s right, you look pale. You should sit down.”

“I don’t want to sit down, I’m fine, I…” Teagan and Loghain looked at each other skeptically. Amelia let out a frustrated huff before turning to Alistair. “Alistair, why  _ exactly _ are my father and Teagan so concerned about me being pale and needing to sit down.”

“Uhhh… because they knew you weren’t feeling well while I was in Kirkwall?” Alistair tried to smile at her but she shook her head. She didn’t look angry with him, she looked… hurt. He decided to just come clean, “I’m sorry; I panicked and mentioned you were with the midwife.”

She strode over and grabbed his hand so she could lead him to a corner. He doubted it would keep Loghain and Teagan from overhearing but he appreciated her attempt to not dress him down completely in public.

“Alistair, I  _ thought _ we agreed that  _ I _ was going to tell my father.”

“We did, but-”

“And we didn’t even  _ talk _ about telling Teagan or anyone else.”

“I… oh.” Alistair suddenly remembered how upset his wife had been at the prospect of the Bannorn at large finding out about her pregnancy if something were to happen. Loghain was a Warden Commander; liaising with nobility was greatly discouraged. He was only allowed to be as close to Amelia as he was because she was his daughter, and Anora didn’t have a noble title anymore and hadn’t forgiven her father for his role in that. But Teagan was a powerful Arl, respected in the Landsmeet, who met regularly with local Banns and neighboring Arls. Amelia’s lips were pursed between her teeth and she was looking slightly away from Alistair. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her before she could start to cry again. “I’m sorry, love,” he whispered to her, “I didn’t realize how much it would matter to you.”

He felt her nod. “I suppose you always were going to tell Teagan; it’s hardly fair for my father to know and him not to. But I’m not  _ ready _ for people to know. Two days ago, I didn’t think we’d have  _ any _ children, and now the midwife says it’s probably two but possibly three.” She turned in his arms to face Loghain and Teagan, “And  _ yes _ I know you two probably heard that; I’m fully aware my husband isn’t the only person who can get panicked and blurt something out.” He saw her try to wipe the tears off her face as frustration crept into her voice, “And  _ Maker _ , why am I getting so upset over this! It doesn’t make any  _ sense _ !”

“It’s because you’re pregnant, Amelia.” As Loghain spoke it suddenly dawned on Alistair that his father-in-law was the only one in the room to have spent any amount of time around pregnant women before. “And that’s stressful enough without an entire country’s nobility piling about twenty years of waiting on top of it. And Teagan’s still right about you looking pale.”

“I…” She leaned against Alistair harder. “Fine, I’m tired. I barely got any sleep last night; I was so worried about seeing the midwife today.”

“You didn’t tell me that!” Alistair pushed her away slightly so he could look at her.

“I didn’t have much of a chance!”

“I… no, I guess you didn’t. Come on, I think you should try to get some more sleep.” He tried to guide her to the door.

She hesitated, “But-”

Teagan smiled and started to leave the room, “I think I’ve overstayed my welcome already. Congratulations on the news. I’ll be sure to keep quiet until you’re ready to announce it.”

Loghain was looking at Alistair and Amelia with his arms crossed. Alistair decided both he  _ and _ Amelia had already spent more than enough time trying to accommodate the man’s unannounced visit. He kissed her head and whispered, “Come, love. I woke you up, it’s only fair I put you back to bed.”

“I… oh, alright.” She stopped resisting and went with him.

He was a bit concerned about how easily she’d given in, but he reassured himself that the midwife, not to mention Avalonne, wouldn’t have let her come down if they thought there was that much risk. “You really are just tired, right Amelia?”

“Mm, ask me about it later, Alistair. I’m tired.”

He chuckled, “I think you just answered my question.”

“That’s good; I’m tired.”

She fell asleep as soon as she laid down on the bed. He was considering whether he wanted to join her or would that just risk waking her up again when he heard a knock. He glared at the door as he walked over to it. 

_ I thought Avalonne was going to tell the rest of the servants no one was supposed to disturb Amelia for anything! _

He opened the door and was somewhere between disappointed and angry to see Loghain on the other side. He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He crossed his arms and addressed the man, “She’s asleep. I’m not waking her up for you, so go ahead and be cross with me for that.”

Loghain narrowed his eyes slightly. While that was familiar to Alistair, the rest of his face wasn’t. He was looking at Alistair with an emotion Alistair couldn’t recall having seen on his face before; so anything other than anger, disappointment, or general spite.

“I did not come to speak to her. I came to speak to you.”

“Oh, Maker’s breath! You didn’t get enough of shouting at me about Kirkwall? Or you want to shout at me about the other thing without worrying about her hearing you do it?”

“I… realize that I am not a pleasant in-law to have. But Amelia is my daughter, even if I wasn’t always a good father. I doubt Anora will ever forgive me for my actions during the Blight; Amelia is all I have left and I worry for her - I will always worry for her. You may understand that soon enough.” Alistair considered momentarily whether he would want someone like him marrying his hypothetical daughter and decided that particular thought wasn’t one to dwell on overmuch. Loghain continued, “I may not agree with, or like, or even understand everything you do, but I will say this for you: You act well when you act for her.”

“I… did you… Was that a  _ compliment _ ?” Alistair couldn’t quite believe his ears.

Loghain raised a corner of his mouth in the barest shadow of a smile, “Take it how you will.” He turned and began walking down the hallway.

“Loghain!” Alistair wasn’t quite sure  _ why _ he was calling after the man. Usually his favorite parts of their visits were when Loghain was finally out of sight on his way out and this would only delay that, but he had another thought that he couldn’t seem to resist saying. Loghain stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. “You heard what’s going on. Amelia’s not… she’s not  _ all _ you have left anymore.”

Loghain nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind… Son.”

“Wait, did you just call me-”

Loghain turned away and disappeared around the corner. Alistair looked around for  _ someone _ else who might have heard his father-in-law’s parting word, but the hallway was deserted. He decided he didn’t want to think too hard about what it had been, but it was at least much more pleasant to consider than the utterly  _ terrifying _ thought of an idiot like him getting anywhere near any daughter of his.


End file.
